Book Club with Breakfast

Join us on Tuesday, May 5th from 8:00–9:00 AM for a morning of conversation and connection. Whether you've read Leading Through Free Fall cover to cover or are simply curious about navigating uncertainty, embracing resistance, and turning roadblocks into breakthroughs, you’re invited to engage in a lively discussion with fellow VSAE members.

Book: Leading Through Free Fall: How Innovators Turn Turbulence into Trust by Brianna Sylver

Facilitators: Rachael Holt and Whitney Meyerhoeffer

Book Synopsis: People aren’t predictable—but your innovation leadership can be.

You’ve built the best innovation process. You’ve mapped out every step. Then, reality hits: People hesitate. Doubt creeps in. Resistance surfaces. Suddenly, your well-designed plan feels like it’s unraveling, and you’re left wondering, What am I missing? What have I done wrong? These moments aren’t setbacks—they’re gifts. They hold the key to deeper trust, alignment, and impact in your work. In Leading Through Free Fall, innovation strategist Brianna Sylver reveals how to turn the inevitable challenges of innovation into your greatest advantage.

Drawing on over twenty years of experience at the intersection of user experience, market research, and strategy, Sylver walks you through three stages of leading innovation: Suiting Up, Free Fall, and Safe Landing. Seventeen tools are shared in this playbook, each designed to help you to navigate the messy humanness of innovation with confidence, while you build trust and lead with clarity, resilience, and impact. The biggest roadblocks in innovation aren’t technical—they’re human. Through real-world stories and actionable strategies, Leading Through Free Fall teaches you how to tame uncertainty, embrace resistance, and turn roadblocks into breakthroughs—so both your teams and projects thrive.

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